Another Perk of Being a Vampire
by Amelia Sprightly
Summary: Marceline makes a sombre trip one evening to visit some old friends.


The weather didn't seem apt for the occasion.

Marceline felt like the sky should have been clouded with angry grey storms, there should have been rain lashing down, fierce winds billowing at trees and rattling at doors.

It should have been gloomy- at least.

Instead, she was met with a clear evening in Ooo, no clouds to shroud the glow of the stars, no rain to fleck at her face as she flew through the air, not even a gentle breeze to rustle the trees.

She didn't like to make a habit of this. Over a thousand years of living had supplied her with plenty of pain and anguish in a million different forms, the only way she'd found she was able to survive was to push these thoughts and memories away. Keep moving forward and on to new things, new experiences; never _ever_ look back at the past.

But once in a while she would feel something grapple at her heart again, a sinking feeling in her stomach and a terrible pang at the back of her mind that would lead her to this point. It was difficult for her to explain, even to herself. Instead of questioning it, she would just accept that it was that time again and let the feeling guide her.

It wasn't exactly a feeling of nostalgia, or loss. It wasn't that she felt she specifically owed something, or had some kind of duty to fulfil. Rather, it was like a calling- like those times when you sometimes feel so lonely and have been spending too much time by yourself, and there's nothing you want more than to see your friends again. So, that's exactly what she would do.

Almost reluctantly, she approached her destination- her incredible flying speed was just a perk of being a vampire. She touched down gently on the grass, took a deep breath, and looked around.

It was a beautiful place, really. A hidden clearing amongst the trees, right at the edge of the gumdrop forest- so the pinkish hue hadn't quite faded from the surrounding leaves. She walked slowly up a small hill, trying to keep her chin up and her eyes on the stars above, rather than the pair of ominous gates up ahead that she barely wanted to walk through.

Eventually though, her hand was touching the cool metal bars in front of her and she was swinging the door open, a second's hesitation and she would probably end up turning back. It glided free without so much as a creak; she turned and pulled it shut behind her, resting her forehead briefly against the metal and hands clenching at the bars.

Trying not to concentrate too hard and instead just make herself keep moving- she released her clutch on the gate and slowly, she turned around. There was a faint pad at her footsteps as she continued up the gentle incline, eventually coming to a flat, circular clearing at the top of the hill. Like a small meadow.

Towards the back of it was a small waterfall, falling from a short, pinkish cliff that made a little pool at the base. The water almost looked silver, twinkling and glittering in the moonlight.

Before that though, were three simple graves.

One was directly in front of the pool, and facing Marceline, and a little way before it was two others, standing proudly, side by side.

Just as they'd been whilst they were alive.

The clearing had originally been reserved just for Princess Bubblegum- on the day that she passed, but when Finn and Jake had died a tragic and heroic death on one of their adventures, the princess had demanded in all her pink might they be given graves here, it was the very least they deserved, after all.

Marceline drew nearer, the pad of footsteps stopped when she was in front of the graves, looking down at their tombstones with hardened eyes and a furrowed brow, her hands at her sides.

An ornate sword was engraved into each, words written around and inside it. She couldn't bear to read the full dedication on each of them- some touching things had been said about what heroes the pair had been, what wonderful and kind people they both were. And this was true, but Finn and Jake had been more than that. To her, the words could never hope to come close to a proper memory of the two.

Her attention turned in particular to Finn.

She lowered the barrier in her mind, the one she would keep up to protect herself from looking back at the past like this. But she lowered it and let the memories flood back to her.

Memories of when they'd met, his terrified expression when she'd appeared at his window and then the utter wonderment and welcome he'd given her upon really meeting, regardless of the fact that she was a vampire. The confusion in his young eyes when she'd pranked him and made him her henchman, and the way they'd become the best of friends so quickly. The way his entire face would light up whenever he saw her, because that's just the kind of person he'd been. So full of energy and bright ideas and genuine trust and happiness- so full of life. She felt a stab in her chest at that last thought, seeing his grave before her. Knowing he didn't have that life any more. Would never have it again.

More memories came, seeing him start to grow up- the way he'd clung to her and yelped whenever she'd taken him for a flight- whether it was the first time or the hundredth time. The fire in his heart at any kind of injustice, and the decency with which he treated anyone he met. His sense of humour, and the way he would cheer her up whenever she was down, the little goofball. Pulling pranks with him on PB- even the time she'd convinced him to put wolves in her room. That time she'd let him learn on her bass and he'd broken a string, the subsequent fear in his eyes when she went all demonic-monster on him. Going no adventures together, fighting as a team and laughing all the while.

The last time she'd seen him.  
Waving goodbye to him, matching his goofy grin with a smile as he left her house, left to go meet up with Jake and head off on another adventure. She'd like to have said that there'd been some special moment about it, that she'd maybe even gotten to say goodbye. But they'd spent a fun and relaxed evening jamming and watching movies, she watched him walk out of her cave without a second thought- and that was it. That was the last time she would ever laugh with Finn.

She didn't want to think about what happened next. She didn't want to, but she did anyway.

The worried call she'd received from Bubblegum the next day, saying Finn hadn't come to visit her as they'd planned. The way Marceline had set off, axe- bass in hand to the dungeon Finn had been so excited to visit. She'd expected to find him imprisoned somehow, or maybe lost in the maze, in need of a rescue, with a relieved smile on his face at the sight of her. But… another memory-

His lifeless body, lying next to Jake's.

The thing was, against all the bravado and all the fanged smirks- deep down, Marceline was incredibly heartfelt. And she had _never _been good at handling emotions. It was just one thing she just hadn't learnt in all her years- but that was okay. Because that was the real person she was- hidden behind that relaxed front. And it was times like this, when she was alone with her friends that she was true to herself.

She clenched her jaw, squeezing her eyes shut as she felt it start to overwhelm her- all of it. His entire life- all those thoughts and feelings and emotions he'd held, his braveness, his kindness, his friendship. All of it, had just been… cut off. They never found out exactly what happened to the pair. They'd gone in to save some girl from a nearby village, she'd been trapped at the centre by some creature.

She could imagine they'd fought incredibly though, down to the last moment. Finn swinging his sword with all that righteous anger and Jake fighting with everything he had right alongside him. Never relenting, never giving up. Maybe even having to watch the other die.

Finn had only been 16.

It didn't seem fair. How long she'd been living. How little time he'd gotten. The injustice of it all screamed at her inside her head, knowing all the while that nothing would ever change.

A last memory echoed in her head, Finn laughing, his blonde haired, blue eyed face lit up with glee after they'd spent a day eating cotton candy in the cloud kingdom. Marceline had given herself a cloud moustache and it had entertained him to no end. The memory played in her head, but all her eyes could see was his darkened grave in front of her.

She tried to hold her composure against the tears, even though they'd already overflowed and started falling gently down her cheeks. She knelt down and leaned over to the tombstone, touching her forehead against it, one pale hand clutching at the top of the smooth stone. She would have brought something to place in front of him, but it wouldn't work. Finn wouldn't care about flowers, he'd just care that she was here. For a silent few minutes she just sat and absorbed everything she could about him, every act, every thought, memory, emotion- everything that was Finn and who he had been. The way she missed him so much. What she would give to see his face brighten in a smile just one more time.

You'd have thought that after dealing with this for so long, it would get easier over time. It never did. Not once.

With immense effort and strain obvious across her face, she leant back from the grave and stood up. One last look at the pair of them with sad eyes, and she stepped past them- heading towards the little waterfall, to the lone grave that stood before it.

She got closer, and for a fleeting moment she didn't think she was going to be able to handle it. She could have lifted up into the sky and left, flown away tried again another time, but-  
She was here now. It would just be exactly the same if she attempted it again on another occasion. Her un-beating heart knew that.

So she put one leg in front of the other, she focused on that action alone and before she could process another thought, there it was.

_Here lies Princess Bonnibel Bubblegum_

She didn't even get past those words, so much hit her all at once she wasn't even able to come up with one individual thought.

The way she would look at Marceline with that sceptical, that quizzical look- the same look she'd given her both as an adult and when she first met her as a child. The gentle and proper tone with which she'd speak, except when Marceline could fluster her and make her flounder for words. The way she would smile deviously at Marceline when she made a 'distasteful' joke that the present royal company disapproved of, except Bonnibel in secret. The way she would get absolutely furious at some of the things that seemed silliest to Marceline, and the effort it would take to calm her down. The way she'd been so insecure when Finn had turned her green, and the persuasion it took to convince her Marceline still thought she was beautiful. The way she'd cried when they fought. The way she'd cried when they made up. Her face when Marceline flew her too high, her face when she'd jump out at her from the dark, her face when she would surprise her with a kiss, her face when she was just a curious child and they'd first met, her face when she'd given her that shirt at the concert, her face, her face, her face. Over and over in thousands of different memories that rushed through her mind all at once.

She sunk to her knees, the tears pouring freely from her eyes and her expression scrunched up in such pain that she just wanted to scream out at the world. There were no words to sum her up, nothing that could surmise the person she'd been- not to Marceline.  
"Bonnie…" was all she could whisper. Because that was it. That was everything to her. Bonnie.

All that they had shared together, all that they could never go on to share. The one person unlike any other that Marceline had met in so _so long_ in this world. Her soul mate was buried here. She had gone somewhere Marceline couldn't follow. She'd been left behind. Left behind, and completely alone in this world.

She thought back to all the time that they'd had, the time that had been essentially Bonnie's entire life but such a small portion of Marceline's, gone so quickly. All the times they'd fought and yelled ate each other- only to make up again with heartfelt apologies the next day after a long, sleepless night. The trips they'd taken to incredible places, the expression of wonderment on Bonnie's face at every amazing new thing Marceline had shown her, and the feeling of pride in Marceline's heart at this reaction. The way they'd laugh together until their sides hurt. The times Bonnie had insisted on brushing her hair for her before some kind of event, how Marceline had grumbled even though she secretly liked the feeling- and Bonnie knew it.

Bonnie knew _her_.  
These thoughts made her smile, against the sobs and with her hair falling across her face, the corners of her mouth turned up in a smile.

No one could make her feel like Bonnie could, no one ever would again- she was sure of it. The pink girl had been the centre of her entire life since they'd met, making her happy had been the one thing that could lift Marceline up and make her feel wonderful, happier than she'd ever been before. Make her feel like she wasn't just some monster of the night. The way they connected, the laughs and smiles that they shared, the kisses that they'd shared, the nights that they'd shared, the last goodbyes that they'd shared.

Her smile disappeared as she clenched her jaw once more.

Unlike Finn and Jake, Bonnibel had lived a long, full life and grown gracefully into old age. Marceline, however, had stayed the same. Eternally youthful. As they both knew she would.

Amongst the flood of memories in her head, the last one emerged.

The last time they'd gotten to speak.

They'd known it was coming, so did the Kingdom. Bonnie was old, her time had passed and she was ready to move on. Marceline wasn't ready for it though. Much as the tears ran down her cheeks now, that's what they did then. When she had knelt next to Bonnie's bed, holding her hand and looking at her through watery eyes, feeling her slip away.

In the hours leading up to it, they'd shared their final laughs and stories- talked about old memories, old friends, talked about everything they could. But it wasn't enough time.

Feeling the love of her life fall through her fingers, Bonnie had tried to console her, whispered sweet words to her to tell her it would be okay. Knowing it wouldn't be, that they were being separated forever and there was nothing they could do about it. But that's what she told her anyway. Marceline had nodded and agreed, even as her distraught face and choked back sobs revealed that she would never, could never move on.

That she would give anything to leave with Bonnie that night.

In the present, Marceline's arms wrapped around the tombstone, sobbing openly. Sobbing for losing Bonnie. Sobbing that Bonnie's life was over so quickly, that she was alone now when all she wanted was to join her.

She drew back, staring at the grave- though she could barely make it out through blurry eyes. She placed down a bouquet, a bunch of white-ish grey roses that had once been red- Bonnie's favourite. She said they reminded her of Marceline.

She bowed her head forward and kissed the top of the stone quickly, wishing more than anything she could go back and live again in a time when they were together. How had it all gone so fast…?

After a few minutes longer of leaning against the grave, of trying to be with Bonnie one last time- she stood up shakily, her cheeks stained with salty tears, and she turned away. Closing her eyes, and murmuring a goodbye. This wasn't the last time she'd visit, but even so, turning her back on the tombstone- she felt an air of finality.

Bonnie was dead.

She walked slowly back the way she came, past Finn and Jake's graves.

Finn and Jake were dead.

She walked out of the gates, shutting them behind her, and looked back once more at the scene. All that was left of her old friends. She saw the sun rising in the distance, had she really been there all night?

She had to head home quickly to avoid being burned up by the sunlight, a perk of being a vampire.

Outliving all of her loved one, even her soul mate- just another perk of being a vampire.

**A/N: I don't know, I was just in a mood for some angst…  
P.S. I haven't abandoned my other fic, sorry I haven't updated in aaages. I think I just got a bit overwhelmed with the fluffyness of it haha. I will be getting to it soon!**


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